Out of the past: Dec. 29

1998

The idea of a establishing a court in Cape Girardeau County specifically to handle drug-related cases has received only limited support among county residents; the results of a survey, released Monday by Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle, indicate Cape Girardeau County residents favor establishing a drug court in the county to handle misdemeanor drug cases and to provide misdemeanor offenders intensive treatment rather than punishment; but the county overwhelming rejects the drug court concept for felony offenders and drug pushers.

The City of Jackson has formally designated land west of Interstate 55 as a redevelopment area, a step city officials say will speed commercial and industrial development of the 750-acre tract; the Tax Increment Financing district was approved by the Jackson Board of Aldermen at a special meeting last night; only Phase I of the plan extending from Klaus Park north along I-55 and along both sides of Highway 61, was activated.

1973

Energy czar William E. Simon isn't very popular among the 16- and 17-year-old drivers; his proposal earlier this week that a person must be 18 or older and a licensed driver before he will receive a month's supply of gasoline rationing coupons has brought mixed reaction from Cape Girardeau's young people; the 18-year-old limit for the coupons is still an uncertainty because the Nixon administration is considering gasoline rationing only as a last resort.

The rumor that has been floating around Cape Girardeau for the past week is true: Jim Lohr is now head man of the Southeast Missouri State University football Indians; Lohr replaces Jim Thrower, who announced his resignation two days after the 1973 Indians captured the MIAA Conference championship.

1948

Ten Southeast Missouri men leave on the noon train for Camp Chaffee, Arkansas, and their initiation into Army life, the result of their inductions yesterday at the Army and Air Force Recruiting Station under the Selective Service Act; the inductees are Ollie Walton of Cape Girardeau, Emory J. Mayfield Jr. of Jackson, Irvin P. Layton, Louis C. Weith, Paul J. Endres, Joseph J. McDermott and Roland R. Mecker of Perryville, Missouri, Harry W. Oberndorfer of Frohna, Missouri, Clarence E. Basler of Festus, Missouri, and Marvin W. Barron of Farmington, Missouri.

The fourth annual invitational basketball tournament, sponsored by College High School, gets underway in the morning at the Arena Building, with the Central High School Tigers defeating Clarkton, Missouri, 35 to 28.

1923

JEFFERSON CITY -- The Black population of Missouri has increased about 20,000 since the 1920 census, most of it this year, according to a report by Robert Cobb, secretary of the Negro Industrial Commission; very few of the Blacks coming north from the South have refused employment, the report states; it further compliments the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce for its efforts in placing Blacks in jobs.

Gasoline is selling at 16.6 cents per gallon at Cape Girardeau filling stations, an increase of 2 cents over yesterday's prices; it is the highest price on gasoline here since the "price war" opened in the Middle West in August.

-- Sharon K. Sanders